Jon Sumrall continues to shape coaching staff, and his latest potential addition is someone Florida Gators fans are familiar with
Jon Sumrall interviewed former Florida Gators offensive lineman and current Penn State OL coach Phil Trautwein for a spot on his staff.
One of the difficulties Florida Gators head coach Jon Sumrall faces right now in coaching two college football programs is building a staff while game-planning for the Ole Miss Rebels. He’s already started building his Gators’ coaching staff by adding offensive coordinator Buster Faulkner, defensive coordinator Brad White, and retaining defensive line coach Gerald Chatman. Of all the coaches on Billy Napier’s staff, Chatman is the only one Sumrall is retaining.
Now is when the Gators are prioritizing the hiring of their assistant coaches. They are the ones who can make or break a staff, and Sumrall is interviewing an exciting candidate for the offensive line coaching spot.
Jon Sumrall targets former Gators player to be offensive line coach
The hires across Sumrall’s staff are likely coming in fast and furious, and the next one might be fascinating. Sumrall interviewed former Gators offensive tackle Phil Trautwein for an assistant spot, likely as the offensive line coach.
Most Gators fans will know Trautwein as the starting left tackle for the two national championship teams in 2006 and 2008. He went undrafted and spent four years in the NFL on active rosters and practice squads.
Once his NFL career was over, he went right into coaching, spending five seasons at Boston College, two at Davidson, and has been the offensive line coach at Penn State for the past six seasons. He’s had multiple players drafted into the NFL during his tenure, which will come up in recruiting.
- 2021: Will Fries, 7th round
- 2021: Michal Menet, 7th round
- 2022: Rasheed Walker, 7th round
- 2023: Juice Scruggs, 2nd round
- 2024: Olumuyiwa Fashanu, 1st round
- 2024: Caeden Wallace, 3rd round
- 2024: Hunter Nourzad, 5th round
Seven offensive linemen selected in the last five seasons, including Will Fries and Rasheed Walker’s success as seventh-rounders, is a nice feather in Trautwein’s cap. Pair that with the history the Gators have in the NFL Draft at offensive line, and Trautwein would be a really nice hire for Sumrall.
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